Editor: With the news that the Summit Theatre at Cascades Casino will be converted into a bingo hall, it’s time to rethink if Langley’s current cultural facilities are enough.

The Township is the fastest growing municipality in all of Metro Vancouver, beating both Surrey and the City of Vancouver in growth between 2011 and 2016.

Without a proper venue, if any of us want to see a show with any kind of big name headlining it, we must either go to Abbotsford or into downtown Surrey, or even further towards Vancouver.

On top of this, local talent and local events are without an adequate complex close to home.

We’ve seen how successful a project like the Langley Events Centre has been at putting Langley on the map, and I don’t think anyone can honestly say building the LEC hasn’t been worth it. It has thrived despite similar sized event centres in Abbotsford and Vancouver – and a performing arts centre would no doubt do the same.

Because of the LEC, Langley is the athletic hub of the Fraser Valley. We have an opportunity to make it the cultural hub as well. While it would be an ambitious project, that’s no reason we should not try. Langley has the talent, it has the population, and it has a reputation for forward thinking. All it needs now is the drive.